---
title: עֵשֶׂב — herb · The Tanakh dictionary
description: עֵשֶׂב (6212), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 33 times: herb. BDB 1906: n.m. herb, herbage. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# עֵשֶׂב

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«עֵשֶׂב» in the Tanakh dictionary: **herb** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 33 times · **Key:** 6212 · **BDB:** עֵ֫שֶׂב

### Glosses

vegetation (13); the.vegetation (9); grass (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

herb [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6212/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. herb, herbage [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6212/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. Gn 1:11 herb, herbage;—ע׳ abs. Dt 11:15 +; cstr. Gn 2:5 +; sf. עֶשְׂבָּם Is 42:15; pl. cstr. עִשְּׂבוֹת (d.f. dirim.) Pr 27:25;—herb, herbage, in oldest use often gen. (therefore incl. grass \[דֶּשֶׁא\]): ע׳ הַשָּׂדֶה Ex 9:22 (E), Gn 2:5 (+ שִׂיחַ) Ex 9:25 (+ עֵץ), 10:15 (+ id; all J) Am 7:2, so ע׳ הָאָרֶץ Ex 10:12 (E), + פְּרִי הָעֵץ v 15 (J), whence ψ 105:35; appar. gen. also in ע׳ הארץ Jb 5:25 ψ 72:16, ע׳ alone 92:8; ע׳ כָּל־הַשָּׂדֶה Je 12:14, ע׳ alone Dt 32:2 (‖ דֶּשֶׁא), Is 42:15 ψ 102:5, 12, and Dt 29:22 Mi 5:6 Pr 19:12; hence ע׳ as food for cattle Dt 11:15 ψ 106:20 cf. Je 14:6 Zc 10:1; עִשְּׂבוֹת הָרִים Pr 27:25 (‖ דֶּשֶׁא, חָצִיר); but as human food (hence excluding דֶּשֶׁא) ע׳ הַשָּׂדֶה Gn 3:18 (J); especially P Gn 1:29 (+ עֶץ), יֶרֶק ע׳ v 30; 9:3, hence ע׳ ψ 104:14 (‖ חָצִיר for cattle); ע׳ disting. from דֶּשֶׁא, עֵץ also Gn 1:11, 12, ע׳ שָׂדֶה + דֶּשֶׁא, חָצִיר 2 K 19:26 + Is 37:27.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 31 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «עֵשֶׂב» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6212/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Proverbs 27:25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.27.25/)

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גָּלָ֣ה חָ֭צִיר וְנִרְאָה־דֶ֑שֶׁא וְ֝נֶאֶסְפ֗וּ עִשְּׂב֥וֹת הָרִֽים׃

*Word for word:* it.disappears grass and it.appears fresh.grass and they.are.gathered \[the\].vegetation(s) of.\[the\].mountains

*JPS 1917:* When the hay is mown, and the tender grass showeth itself, and the herbs of the mountains are gathered in;

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[Psalms 106:20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.106.20/)

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וַיָּמִ֥ירוּ אֶת־כְּבוֹדָ֑ם בְּתַבְנִ֥ית שׁ֝֗וֹר אֹכֵ֥ל עֵֽשֶׂב׃

*Word for word:* and they.exchanged (et) glory their for an.image of.an.ox \[which\].eats vegetation

*JPS 1917:* Thus they exchanged their glory for the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.

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